Archive for ‘Furniture’

Winter is upon us in full force. I find it hard to keep warm when this portion of the world is brittle and unforgiving! Winter, winter, cold, snow. On Tuesday we woke up to a cool -42 degrees Celsius. Yes, you read that correct. Winter in Edmonton at its finest. So what is a girl to do but think about the move (yes, the house is for sale) and new configurations for the future. The boys have been begging to share a room and I am entertaining the thought, but I am not convinced. I have been looking at different options for beds including upholstered ones. Upholstered beds for a boy or girl as seen here can be tailored to suit any room depending on the fabric you choose for upholstering and the colour scheme of the room.

Upholstered beds are everywhere right now, which is great if you are looking for your own variation. Some ideas include purchasing one, modifying a simple store bought bed or creating an upholstered headboard which you can hang on the wall. All of the options result in a custom look which I absolutely love. My favourite look so far is the twin upholstered beds placed side by side. So cute!

I think there are three factors that make an upholstered bed irresistible. The fabric is first and foremost because it catches your eye right away. Especially if you use a bright colour or a bold pattern or a mix of the two.

And third, is detail. Details like tufting, monograms, nail head trims and accessorizing. Using the upholstery fabric elsewhere in the room can tie things together in a neat little succinct way. However, if you use it everywhere you might achieve that ‘fabric was on sale’ look or the ‘a little too homemade’ look. There are fine lines. Tread softly.

Whether the boys end up sharing a room or maintaining their own rooms, upholstered beds are definitely an option. I love how you can modify them to suit a boy’s room or a girl’s room depending on the variables chosen. It is best to exercise all of the options while I figure out this next phase! What do you think? Shared room or private rooms?

Thankfully this cold snap is ending tomorrow which will make life so much easier to live. Cabin fever be gone! Click on the link beneath the first photo for a tutorial on how to make an upholstered bed if you are so inclined to dream one up!

My friend and hair stylist extraordinaire Raman and I were talking about sideboards the other day post bang trim and she was wondering where to put one and what to put on it so I thought I would give her a little inspiration. Raman’s dining room is a beautiful gray with silvery sparkly accents and oversized floral artwork. Her table and chairs are dark wood. The room is lovely. And so we pondered elegant sideboards because she wanted to move a table out of the room and wasn’t sure what to replace it with.

Aside from how functional sideboards are storage-wise, they can be sooooo pretty. Decorate the sideboard with items you love. As always it is best to surround yourself with objects that speak to you of something or someone– a distant secret, a remote past, a haunting story, a long gone friend, a lover or a kindred spirit. Create a mini vignette with your chosen pieces and you will have a sideboard that suits you and the rest of your home. And most importantly, you will love it.

Elegant sideboards can be achieved with careful attention to detail. Placement, arrangement, who goes with what and where and why. Who belongs to who? Does this delicate vintage vase look best with a modern picture frame with a contemporary photograph? Why, sure, anything goes. Mix and match. Reconfigure. Let your heart reveal it’s true nature. Let it break again and again for if the beauty was fleeting at least it was. And it may come round again. Flex and stretch and move said items around with fluidity, no time for rigidity.

As the seasons pass, if you tire of the design, look to the details, they can be moved. Miniscule details, like a glint in someone’s eyes. For as long as I can remember my dad used to tell me before I was born, I was a glint in his eye. Sweet right? Those glimmering glints mean something. Emulate this glint with glass and mirror and reflection and remember: when something of great beauty touches you, embrace it with clear eyes and an open heart. Numbers don’t matter, hearts do. I would literally follow an ideal to the ends of the earth. Without a map or a precedent, even in open waters. Blind territory riddled with obstacles and the obstacles wouldn’t matter, would they? Am I still talking about sideboards? You tell me.

For the elegant sideboard itself you can choose a traditional piece of furniture intended for this use or if you are DIY savvy, look for something you can paint, distress or stain to your own liking. And if you are super savvy, or you have a super savvy helper you can designate your fanciful plans to and expect a decent translation, you could even build one yourself. For a halfway point, look somewhere like Ikea where you can find a plain unadorned piece of furniture which can be painted and dressed with details like knobs and such.

When it comes to thankfulness of course, of course, the first on the list are my two beautiful boys, followed by family and friends and light and love and hope and beauty. After the biggies I started thinking, and looking at my life and what I hold dear. Anyone who knows me knows books are stacked in every corner of my life, so it only seems natural to pay homage to the books in my life and give you a little bookshelf love!

There are a zillion ways to arrange your books—vertical, horizontal, alphabetical, colour coded and more. I tend to arrange mine in groupings of favourites. Favourite authors and favourite books. The rest get randomly shelved together according to height. No matter your method, a bookshelf is a personal display of the literature and stories you contemplate and reflect upon. I love having my books cozied around me. Each book on the shelf holds the memory of the story. Like that of a photograph.

Whether you choose to build the bookshelf right into your space and make it part of the room’s structure or choose a freestanding shelf, many options are available. Let the book spines shine or paint the interior of the shelf with a jolting shock of colour. You can also wallpaper the inside of the shelf for another look.

What living space couldn’t use a little bookshelf love? I know I dream of built-ins to house my collection of novels. One day. Dream house. Until then, I remain ever thankful for the books in my life amongst other things!

I am so in love with the fabric choice on these beauties as viewed at Design Sponge! The houndstooth print marries the curves and ornate details of each of these chairs and makes them look like a set. An unconventional set, yes, but a set. I am seriously going to hit Kijiji after this because I want to create my own version of a dining table with painted chairs.

I mean, really, aren’t these kinds of chairs a dime a dozen? Standard wooden chairs can be made uber-elegant with this dipped leg look. So many possibilities for colour. You could also change the look with cushions and change them with the season or when the mood strikes.

While I understand the need for division, isn’t unification so much better? These chairs are really nothing alike, misfits in fact, but, paint them the same colour and Voila! I like the addition of the stool here and would even take it a step further and put a small table or another stool in a corner with a plant on it. Painted chair ideas come in many shades, but I am drawn to the aqua variations as per usual!

Adorable! This table showcases two sets of chairs all painted red. The striped fabric is a cute choice but for me, polka dots or chevrons would be optimal. The contrast between the table and chairs is a lovely bright balance.

This just goes to show you that you can choose a chair with a fabulous silhouette like these guys or a plain Jane set of old wooden chairs and achieve noteworthy results! I am torn between which ones I love best! What do you think?

The truth is, I saw this beautiful modern take on a canopy bed in a design mag a while back. It was stately and inspiring, so much so that I wanted to move it to my fiction world and have my main characters converse within this beautiful canopied bed. But, I lost the image. I was reading magazines at the gym, so it could have been an outdated one. The image was branded in my mind’s eye and I knew what to do with it, in fictional terms that is, in my latest novel scape. After further searching I found it! Mark D. Sikes created this beauty and it was featured in House Beautiful. It inspired me to create this post on modern canopy bed ideas with some lovely inspiration. Now, you may not be one of the two fictitious lovers I plan on placing in this room, but you can enjoy the view all the same!

Your modern canopy bed should be a well-feathered escape to a forever dreamt paradise, a lovely place to sleep all nestled up in dream world. I believe the best days start with that all over hug feeling you get when the bedding is in the right place all tucked in, and the temperature is summer fresh and slightly cool and your dreams have treated you proper, with versions of visions that fill your heart and make you smile! Today was one such morning. I finished reading The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens, what a beautiful book! While it was a tumultuous story of one Irish man’s life, the character’s observations were written in such a heart wrenching way I think I’ll remember certain lines always! Lines like:

“Sometimes your heart cracks and tells you what you have to do.”

Taken out of context, it still sits with me, but where it was written in the context of the story made me gasp!

“A fish knew what it wanted. A moving case of hunger.”

Well, this girl knows what she wants! A moving case of ideas, a moving case of dreams, a moving case of…

Oh, to write so beautifully! This book is absolutely worth a read. Especially beneath your elegant canopy bed!! With a combination of hardware and drapes you can create an escape fit for royalty, without having to buy a traditional four-post canopy bed. In fact you can use curtain rods and fabric to create the look or you can dress up a standard canopy bed.

Choose from a range of curtain rod products or get creative and use something that will make a statement in and of itself. What will make a statement you ask? Branches are one idea you can use in lieu of curtain rods. Why not paint them white or a colour to match the palette of the room. Reclaimed wood, copper pipes and other straight narrow pieces of things will help you create a look all your own.

What I love about canopy beds is that you can alter the vibe of your bedroom from soft and serene to vibrant and bold by changing the fabric used on your canopy.

Different looks to try:

Match the canopy fabric to the curtains

Choose a contrasting fabric

Hang a graphic print with colour pulled from elsewhere in the room

For a tone on tone colour scheme look to texture for subtle impact

Add white flowing drapes to soften a masculine design

A seasonal approach to canopy drapes:

Winter- Look to shimmering fabrics with a little sparkle for the holiday season and to brighten dreary wintry days. Silver, gold thread details, bead trim etc.

Spring- Floral or geometric prints in bright candy colours such as chartreuse, lemon, fuchsia and cherry.

Summer- Turquoise, coral, chocolate, and other sultry summer shades will get you through many a hot summer night in style.

Autumn- Heavier fabrics like velvet will help you create a cozy space when the weather turns to chill.

Tailor your own modern canopy bed ideas with the design of the room in mind and you can dress your bed up or down depending on personal style. Now, if only I could find out about the glass orbs featured in photos of the rest of the house Mark D. Sikes designed! Research here I come…

I have not had a coffee table in my living room since my oldest was born! At night when the kidlets are in bed I just bring out a little stool for my tea. Why, you might ask? Wobbly walkers and tiptoeing toddlers are not exactly cut out for hanging around a coffee table. The table I got rid of was rectangular with sharp edges, so it was only natural I wanted to liquidate the thing. Right now I have a giant roadway car mat where my future coffee table will sit.

Sure I could have looked for a round one, but once I removed the table, it really opened up the room for more play area. However, it is time to add one back into the picture, the kids are steady Eddie on their feet now and we need more surfaces for artwork. Maybe it’ll be a round or an oval, maybe it won’t.

The coffee table pictured above from Layla Grace is elegant and pretty. I’m not sure about the carpet-like inlay, but the shape and details are divine.

I love the ones pictured here, but I want to make something over for a thrifty variation of a chic coffee table. The hunt is on!! First I need to find a piece. With these ideas in mind, I will choose something with detail and visual interest which I can then paint over. The heft and weight of the cream table pictured below, found at Layla Grace is something I would consider. Can you see that teal shelf in the background? YUM!

I love the idea of using a patterned paper and nail head trim as done at Pretty City Things with an inexpensive Ikea table. But I want something with curves and flourishes and detail. This Isala coffee table from Ikea has been spotted all over the web. The colour is blissfully grey and the curvaceous legs are more in line for what I am looking for.

Something with two levels for a storage area would be ideal. It might help me keep my book and magazine addiction in check if I can keep them (current issues only!!) in plain sight. I also really like the ones with drawers, but drawers around here clutter up quickly. I think my best bet is to choose one with an open storage area and add decorative boxes or baskets for organization. What works for you and your coffee table?

Coffee Table DIY Ideas

To stencil or not to stencil? I have seen an abundance of neat-o mosquito ideas for stenciling furniture in the last while and it is tempting. I wonder what a medallion type stencil would look like on a round pedestal coffee table. Other ideas include fancy french phrases (try saying that ten times fast!), numbers, monograms, symbols– like an ampersand or an astrological symbol, a word, or whatever strikes you or moves you or inspires you! Or you can forgo the stencil and opt to create a lace topped coffee table as seen at A Beautiful Mess! So cute!

Another idea is to create a coffee table with palettes and caster wheels. If you want a rustic look this might work for your home. But not mine. I want something with elegance.

Apartment Therapy has a few coffee table options including one with a painted chalkboard top. That could be cute in the right space, right? Playroom, for instance. Even an ugly coffee table can be painted and given new life like this one at It’s Clementime.